Of Balak and Balaam
by Hikari Hrair-rah
Summary: A King, fearing the onrushing flood of Israelites will end his kingdom, seeks for one to put a curse on the invaders so that they may be driven off.  But the one chosen for this task can only speak the words the God puts into his mouth...


Make of this what you will. I seriously did get an A for turning this in as a research paper. College is such a strange place, isn't it?

Disclaimer: Nothing I didn't invent is owned by me.

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Fear swept over the land of Moab. The Israelites, sweeping like a wave in the aftermath of their freedom from Egyptian enslavement, had fought and wiped out all who stood against them, taking the lands for their own. Now the Israelites in all their vast numbers were camped on the fringes of Moabite territory, poised to attack in either direction; deeper into Moab, or else cross the Jordan River and take Jericho.

Fearing that the former was to pass, Balak, King of Moab, hastily devised a plan to weaken the Israelites. If his plan succeeded, Balak surmised, he could rout the Israelites from Moab and secure the borders of his land from their vast forces. Calling to him the wisest elders of Moab, Balak sent them as messengers to a famous diviner whose words were the words of the God: Balaam, who lived in the Pethor on the Euphrates. Here was the inquiry:

"There is a people that have come up out of Egypt; their numbers hide the earth from view and they have settled themselves at the foot of my land. Come to me, and place a curse upon this people for me. They are too numerous for me; perhaps with your aid I may thus defeat them and drive them out. I know that he whom Balaam blesses is blessed indeed, and he whom Balaam curses is truly cursed."

Balaam welcomed the messengers to his home and bade them take their ease. Gravely, he listened to the words of Balak that they had brought, but would not reply straightaway.

"Pray, spend the night here in comfort. In the morning, I shall reply to you as the God may instruct me."

The Moabite elders gladly agreed to spend the night in Balaam's house. During the dark hours of the night, Balaam heard the voice of the God. "What do these people want of you?" asked the God.

"Balak, king of Moab, sent me these words: 'There is a people that have come up out of Egypt; they hide the earth from view. Come and curse them for me, so that I may engage them in battle and drive them off.' I bade his messengers wait until the morning for their reply. What am I to tell them?"

The God responded, "You are not to go to Balak. I tell you that you must not curse that people; they are mine, and blessed for it."

Balaam heeded the words of the God, and at daybreak, he rose and spoke to the messengers that Balak had sent. "Please, return now to your own land," Balaam told them, "The God desires that I do not go with you."

The Moabite elders obeyed, and returned to Balak, telling him of what had transpired. Not so easily dissuaded, Balak again sent word to Balaam. His messengers were other elders of Moab, more dignified and honored than the first group, and more numerous. This was the message of Balak that these second messengers brought to Balaam:

"Please do not refuse me; I will reward you richly and grant you any boon you may desire. All I ask is that you come and curse this people for me."

Balaam replied, "Even if Balak would give to me a house crafted of silver and full of gold, I cannot do anything, be it great or small, that runs contrary to the words of the God. Still, I offer the hospitality of my house to you for the night. Perhaps the God will speak to me again on this matter."

The second group of Moabite elders partook of Balaam's hospitality as eagerly as the first. In the dark hours of the night, the God spoke again to Balaam. "If these men have also come to ask that you go to Balak," said the God, "Then you may do so. If your choice is to go, bear in mind that you shall do nothing which I command you not to do."

Greatly surprised at this change in the God's command, Balaam contemplated on the words for the remainder of the night. Finally, he decided that he would indeed go to Balak. The Moabite elders were glad to hear this news, and Balaam soon saddled up his trusted donkey, gathered two servants, and journeyed to the place where Balak awaited him.

Unbeknownst to Balaam, the God sent an agent down to the road, determined to test Balaam. As the road wound between rich fields, the agent of the God planted himself in the way. Balaam approached on his donkey, but could not see him. The donkey, a more perceptive beast, saw the agent of the God quite clearly and swerved hastily into the fields to avoid the collision. Balaam, surprised at this action, swatted the donkey with his stick to drive her back onto the road.

Seeing this, the agent of the God moved to another part of the road further on, where vineyards on either side had protection in tall, strong walls. As Balaam rode towards the agent of the God, still unable to perceive him, the donkey shied away, squeezing Balaam's foot between herself and the wall. Pained and angered, Balaam swatted the donkey even harder with his stick to force her to move forwards.

Again, the agent of the God moved to a new part of the road. This part of the road bordered in cliffs that dropped sharply downwards, and was very narrow; there was no room for the donkey to maneuver around what might stand in the way. At the sight of the agent of the God blocking the way yet again, in this narrow place, the donkey shuddered and lay down underneath Balaam, refusing to move even as Balaam lay about her ears with his stick, truly incensed at the beast's actions.

The donkey looked upwards at her master, and the God opened her mouth to human speech. "Say now, Master," said the donkey, "What have I done that deserved you beating me these last three times?"

Balaam, despite being startled at hearing his donkey talk, replied, "You have made a mockery of me – any man who has seen me today would think me a poor rider and a fool! If you continue being so useless to me, I will have wished that I brought a sword with me so that I could kill you."

The donkey snorted. "Look here, Master," she exclaimed, "I have been your trusted donkey for a long time now! You have often spent all day riding upon my back, and have I ever been in the habit of disobeying you or leaving the road without any reason?"

Grudgingly, Balaam replied, "No, you have not."

At last, the agent of the God revealed himself to Balaam. Seeing who blocked the way, a powerful agent of the God, whose gleaming sword was drawn, Balaam sprang off the donkey and prostrated himself in the dirt.

"Why have you struck your donkey these three times? I had come to block the way that leads you to this errand of Balak," said the agent of the God, "And when your donkey saw me, she moved away those three times because of me. Better for you that she did so; you might have been the one killed, and I to spare her."

Still prostrate on the ground, Balaam replied, "I have erred in this, for I did not see you in the way. If the God disapproves of my traveling to meet Balak, I shall immediately turn back."

"Continue with these men, it is your choice," the agent of the God said, indicating the Moabite elders.

These remained mounted on their donkeys behind Balaam, wondering what was going on, for they could not see the agent of the God. "Remember," the agent of the God added, "You may say nothing but what the God instructs you to say."

The agent of the God disappeared with those words, and Balaam remounted his donkey and continued journeying with the Moabite elders.

Balak greeted Balaam at Ir-moab. "When I first asked for you to come, why did you decline?" Balak asked of Balaam, "Is there really no reward I could have given you that you would accept?"

Balaam shrugged in reply. "Now that I have come to you, is there any way for me to speak freely? I can only speak the words that the God places in my mouth."

Balak lead Balaam to the high hill, Bamoth-baal. From the crest, one could see almost all of the Israelites' great numbers, covering the landscape with their tents and fires and herds. Following the instructions of Balaam, Balak had his servants raise seven altars, and make seven burnt offerings to the God. Then Balaam said, "Wait here by these altars and pray for favor in your request. I shall wander near here for a bit, and see what manifestations the God gives to me."

Balaam walked alone into the wild parts of the hill, until he felt the presence of the God. The God put a word into Balaam's mouth and said, "Return to Balak, and let him hear this."

Balaam returned as instructed. When Balak asked, "What did the God say to my request?" Balaam began to chant:

"_From Aram has Balak has brought me/Moab's king from the hills of the East/Come, curse me Jacob/Come, tell Israel's doom!_

"_How can I damn whom the God has not damned/How doom whom the God has not doomed?_

"_As I see them from the mountain tops/Gaze on them from the heights/Who can count the dust of Jacob/Number the dust-cloud of Israel?_

"_May I die the death of the upright/May my fate be like theirs!"_

Hearing this, Balak became angered. "What have you done?" Balak demanded of Balaam, "I brought you here to put a curse on my enemies and instead you have blessed them!"

"I told you," Balaam replied, "I can only repeat what the God tells me to speak."

Balak was silent for a long moment. "Very well," Balak said at last, "We shall go to another place – you will only see a portion of their folk from there. If you cannot damn all of them, perhaps you can curse that portion for me."

Balak lead Balaam to another hill, Pisgah. From Pisgah, one could see perhaps only half of the Israelites' total numbers. Once again, Balak's servants raised seven altars and made seven burnt offerings, before Balaam again went walking in the wild areas of the hill to seek a manifestation from the God. Again, Balaam felt the presence of the God, and again, the God put a word into Balaam's mouth and said, "Return to Balak, and let him hear this."

Balaam returned, and Balak asked, "What did the God tell you this time?" Again, Balaam began to chant:

"_Up, Balak, attend/Give ear unto me, son of Zippor!_

"_The God is not a man to be capricious/Or a mortal to change the God's mind/Would the God speak and not act/Promise and not fulfill?_

"_My message was to bless/What the God blesses, none can reverse it/No harm is in sight for Jacob/No woe is in view for Israel/The God is with them!"_

Hearing this, Balak was infuriated. He stomped his foot and shouted, "If you will not curse them, then at least do not bless them!"

"I have told you twice now," Balaam replied, "I can only say what words the God instructs me to tell to you! If that is not what you want to hear, then I shall leave you and return to my own house."

"No, no! Be not so hasty!" Balak hurried to reassure Balaam, "Come, now! We shall go to another place, where you will see only the smallest number of these people; even if only that small group is cursed, perhaps that will be enough to aid me!"

Reluctantly, Balaam let Balak lead him to another high hill, Peor. From Peor, one could see only a small number of the Israelites. A third time, Balak's servants raised seven altars and made seven burnt offerings to the God. Unlike the previous times, however, Balaam did not go to seek a manifestation from the God. It was plain for all to see that the God would not curse Israel, but would rather bless it. As Balaam stood by the altars, he felt the presence of the God once again, and a word placed itself in his mouth. For the third time, Balaam began to chant:

"_Word of Balaam son of Beor/Word of the man whose eye is true/Word of him who hears the God speak/Who beholds visions from on high:_

"_How fair are your tents, O Jacob/Your dwelling places, O Israel!_

"_Like palm-groves that stretch out/Like gardens beside a river/Like aloes the God has planted/Like cedars beside the water/They shall devour enemy nations/Crush their bones/And smash their arrows/They crouch, they lie down like a lion/Like the king of beasts, who dare rouse them?_

"_Blessed are they who give blessing to you/Accursed are they who lay curse upon you!"_

Balak nearly struck Balaam a blow at those words. Restraining himself just barely, Balak began to rave at Balaam. "I called you to me to damn my enemies, and instead you have blessed them three times over! Go back to your own place at once, you miserable fool! I was going to reward you handsomely for helping me, but the God you worship has denied you to such things!"

Balaam drew himself up at these words. "Did I not tell your servants thus, 'Even if Balak would give to me a house crafted of silver and full of gold, I cannot do anything, be it great or small, that runs contrary to the words of the God.' And also, 'I can only speak the words that the God places in my mouth', I have said this to you repeatedly!"

"So you have said; what of it?" Balak retorted, "What use is a foolish man such as you, one who cannot speak any words of his own crafting?"

"Well," Balaam replied, "Before I return home to my own land, let me tell you what this people shall do to you in the coming days. Yea, and in words of my own crafting I shall tell you!"

Balaam began to chant:

"_Word of Balaam son of Beor/Word of the man whose eye is true/Word of him who hears the God speak/Who obtains knowledge from on high/And beholds visions of the God above!_

"_A star rises from Jacob/A scepter comes forth from Israel/It smashes the brow of Moab/The foundation of all the children of Seth/Alas, who can survive except how the God has willed it!_

"_They, too, shall perish forever."_

Once his dire proclamation was finished, Balaam turned from Balak and left to return to his home in Pethor. Humbled, Balak returned to his home as well.

((End.))


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